29 March, 2008

The seven-pillared worthy house

As my the post in my serious blog stated, I've been traveling in Jordan visiting L. We had a amazing time at our short stay at Wadi Rum. While it was great fun climbing and scrambling up rocks, and rolling down sand dunes with L., the highlight must be our time with the Bedouins. It was an incredible cultural experience to be invited for tea at their home. Our time at the Rum was that much more special because our guide M.'s nephew married an American girl from the Seattle area. Listening to tales of their lives in the desert and N.'s ordeal in marrying a Bedouin was amazing. M. and his nephew showered us with tea and N. showed us a DVD of her wedding. I cannot say that I agree with all their customs. But our Bedouin friends broke into the biggest smiles at the drop of the hat and were the best host one can ask for. I was overjoyed that they invited me and L. into their home and permitted us to enjoy their land if it were my own. I will treasure this experience and hope to come back in the near future.

I'm also happy that M. gave me a nickname. He called me something like "avrit." He said it's something like a jeanie (you know, out of the bottle) because he saw me scrambling up rocks on all fours. I'll have to earn my reputation next time I return.

I love you, so I drew these tides of men into my handsand wrote my will across the sky in starsTo gain you Freedom, the seven-pillared worthy house,that your eyes might be shining for meWhen I came.